PAKISTAN are the new No 1 team in Men’s ODI after a massive win over New Zealand in the fourth one day international of the bilateral series in Karachi. The hosts, who now lead the 4-0 in the series that has one game to go, have 113 rating points and edge Australia and India by decimal points. Given the current form, we have no doubt in saying that they will further cement their place by winning the fifth ODI and complete the series clean sweep.
It is the first time that the Green Shirts has achieved the milestone of number one team in ODI since the International Cricket Council officially recognized the rankings in 2005. Previously our highest ODI ranking was third which we attained in January 2018 and again in June 2022. With their splendid performance, the Green Shirts led by Captain Babar Azam has made the entire nation proud. Our cricket history is definitely full of greats and many big names but the way Babar Azam is registering records both as a captain and a batsman is really amazing and phenomenal, which really manifests his commitment to the game. Indeed, the credit of reaching the top position goes to the entire team. It is a team effort and it is a matter of great satisfaction that at present both our batters and bowlers are clicking, and we have to keep the same momentum in the weeks and months ahead if we want to sustain the top position. It will also be unfair not to recognize the efforts being put in by the PCB management led by Najam Sethi to reach this stage. Najam Sethi through his sheer professionalism and dedication has proven all his critics wrong who used to say that a non-cricketer cannot effectively run affairs of the Board. Anyway this achievement has come at a time when the ODI World Cup is just a few months away. We believe this will give much needed boost and encouragement to our team. In fact this has revived hopes of our cricket frenzy nation that our team can once again lift the ODI World Cup. We need to go ahead with the same team combination and not indulge in more experiments to achieve the desired results in the mega event.
